The Release Podcast

Feeling overwhelmed by the relentless news cycle? There's a reason for that.

Jennifer Walter is a Swiss sociologist, podcast host (Check out The Scenic Route) & mental health advocate. She’s also a self-described rebel marshmallow, and a highly sensitive person. Grounded in sociology and a deep understanding of the structures that shape our perception of who we are, where we fit, and what is possible, she coaches clients to find the sweet spot in perspective that will help them take agency in their lives.

When she went viral this year….over her conclusion that in the current sociopolitical environment "our overwhelm in the point," I knew I needed to sit down with her. On this week's podcast we are looking at the playbook of disengaging citizens from their own democracy. And we are talking about how we can all manage to stay alert, without getting lost in the void.

Why have we as a society gone from simply glorifying youthful looks to aiming for a consequence-free, childlike lifestyle? When was the last time you saw an ad that showed adults behaving like…adults? How did we devolve within just one generation from teens who could not wait to a driver’s license…to teens nowadays who barely register excitement over a driver’s test? Or their first set of car keys? Or apartment keys, for that matter?

How lonely are we...really? When does loneliness go from a signal like thirst to a problem like chronic dehydration? What will the world look like if in fact…we don’t collectively figure out how to do anything about it?

For more on your host Poonam Sharma and The Release Podcast: https://poonam.info https://thereleasepodcast.com

Does a fish really need to understand that it's swimming in water? How about if that water is laced with arsenic? Does it matter what level of arsenic? How about if a woman spent her entire life for example marinating in misogyny (but I mean like low-key non-toxic levels of misogyny for the most part)? Would her accomplishments make immune? Would her beauty? Her privilege? And for how long?

My guest today is Dr. Amanda Hanson and she is known worldwide as the #midlifemuse. Her book “Muse” is out today. A leading voice both online and in the world of psychology among women, Dr Hanson blends Clinical Psychology with ancient holistic practices to encourage women to reclaim their strength and to live audaciously… with reverence for their #divinefeminineenergy. But having read it I can tell you this book is about far more than how the patriarchy hurts us all. It’s about how we can reclaim the way we were designed to see ourselves by taking a good hard look at the water we've been swimming in our entire lives.

Dr. Hanson is not immune to that journey herself and her experience informs her entire movement which is really transforming lives worldwide. On today's podcast we are talking about the launch of MUSE, the importance of every woman dismantling her own internalized beliefs about #womanhood and the power that we all have to become every single thing that we need. Trust me; you're going to want to read this book.

For more on The Midlife Muse: https://www.amandahanson.com

For more on your host Poonam Sharma and The Release Podcast: https://poonam.info

https://thereleasepodcast.com

Have you ever felt what seemed like a connection....only to eventually awaken to the reality that it was probably something else? There is a key difference between connection and attunement, according to this week's guest Dr. Peter Salerno.

Trusting your own judgement can be tricky after you’ve escaped an emotionally abusive relationship. Its about far more than just picking better the next time around. Dr. Salerno is a psychotherapist specializing in supporting people who have suffered from relationships with abusive and manipulative partners. He’s gained a wide following on social media in part because he’s willing to call out all of the ways that traditional couples counseling can make things worse if the therapist misses the true dynamic.

Peter’s latest book TRAUMATIC COGNITIVE DISSONANCE dives deep in to what it’s really like to escape and then heal from an abusive relationship with a disordered personality. He’s got lots of insight into handling, surviving, and making sense of emotional abuse. Not just from his clinical practice, but also, from personal experience. Because as it turns out, therapists are humans too.

For More on Dr. Peter Salerno:

https://www.drpetersalerno.com/

For more on The Release Podcast:

https://thereleasepodcast.com

https://www.poonam.info

#attunement #loveandrelationships #couplestherapy  @DrPeterSalerno  #traumabond #disorderedpersonalities

What's your gut reaction to learning somebody is a single mom? Sympathy? Curiosity? Judgement? Or maybe a mix? You wouldn’t be alone. But we are not homogenous; the face of single motherhood is changing, and not necessarily in the ways you might think.

Some 10 million US households are headed by a single mom, almost 40% of births in 2022 were to unmarried women, and there has been a huge growth in the ranks of the single moms by choice (via IVF or adoption).

This week's guest is Jennifer Muscatel, and instagram influencer and founder of The Single Mom Society who knows more than you would ever want to…about the reality of it all. On today's podcast, we are talking about the trolls who target her for shining a light on deadbeat and absentee dads (and also by the way for having the audacity of post-divorce dating standards). We are talking about the candid yet sarcastic post that took her viral to her own surprise, the most common questions in her DMs, and when she is the hardest on herself.

Like all the single, or divorced, or widowed, or never married, or by IVF or adoption mamas out there living without anyone to share the moments, without backup in the middle of the night, without any milk in the fridge unless you put it there yourself…ever…Jennifer is just putting one foot in front of the other, on the good days as well as the less good ones. Because our babies are worth it. And from where I sit...Jennifer is doing an absolutely knockout job.

For More on Jennifer Muscatel: https://www.instagram.com/singlemomsociety_/

For more on The Release Podcast:

https://thereleasepodcast.com

https://www.poonam.info

#singlemom #singlemomlife #podcast #datingafterdivorce #singleparent #custody #inspiration #divorce

Cassindy Chao is a former Goldman Sachs banker turned ultra-high-end matchmaker who we can all learn a lot from, whether we’re partnered or not. Because unlike some matchmakers, she’s focused on building relationships that last, rather than just on making matches that click. 



On this week’s podcast we are talking about her book (Ancient Wisdom Modern Love) and her marriage of 25 years and counting to the man she was truly compatible with…after the engagement she was smart enough to break off, with the guy that was just perfect on paper. We are looking at what people misunderstand about matchmakers, getting the gossip on the client that SHE had to fire…and circling insights into the clients that she just cannot help. Matchmakers are not magicians, she says.

Cassindy is in this for the satisfaction of partnering people for life; so be forewarned: if you hire her, she will investigate the difference between what you want and what you actually need. Even by calling up all of your friends and family to get the skinny on you if that’s what it takes.

So if you think you’re ready for the platinum level matchmaking services of somebody like Cassindy, consider first: Just how much will you really commit…to finding love?

https://www.awmlove.com/speaking

For more on The Release Podcast:

https://thereleasepodcast.com

https://www.poonam.info

 @CassindyChao  #cassindychao  @MatchmakerCassindy  #matchmaking #modernlove #dating #datingadvice #love #valentinesday #moderndating #relationshippodcast

Does choosing more wisely with a future partner require that we fully process why we chose poorly in the past?

Meet Esther Goldstein, a New York based LCSW and trauma therapist, or as I now see her, the trauma therapist’s therapist. Based on an article she wrote entitled The Allure Of The Dangerous Man, I reached out to ask Esther about healing after traumatic relationships, and whether forgiving oneself for accepting hurtful behavior is a requirement before we can trust ourselves to choose better next time. 

On this week's podcast, we explored how much of feeling safe is about the partner we choose, versus re-trusting ourselves. How does a trauma therapist differentiate between a person who has healed from, versus a person who has internalized, the abuse? Goldstein has thoughts on all of this and more….and it’s no surprise she is not the kind of therapist who will sit and nod at her clients. She dug deep into a childhood family tragedy and how it affected her willingness to face deep pain.

Many of her clients are the therapists themselves. And according to her philosophy, a therapist can only take their client….as far as she has been willing to travel herself.

What was your gut reaction to the news of the murder of United HC CEO Brian Thompson by Luigi Mangione last month? Was it perhaps a little more heartless than you’d care to admit?

While many were personally horrified at the murder, it got me thinking about the ethics of insurance denials, and the overall health of our health insurance system in this country.

So today I’m talking with Dr Daniel Block, a psychiatrist and patient advocate who has been a Department Chair, CoChair of a hospital ethics committee, and Medical Director of an addiction recover center, and who is also currently a review board member for the publication VeryWellMind.

Since earning his medical degree at Temple University, he has become a staunch patient advocate particularly in the area of insurance denials as well as patient education. Today we are covering everything from the affect of AI on health insurance to the labyrinth of prior authorization to the extra lengths many good doctors must go.

According to Dr. Block, the health insurance system is not broken…its working, unfortunately….exactly the way that it was designed to.

For More on Dr. Daniel Block:

https://www.verywellmind.com/daniel-block-md-4779186

For more on The Release Podcast:

https://thereleasepodcast.com

https://www.poonam.info

#uhc #luigimangione #healthcaretips #healthcareindustry #insurancedecisions #healthinsurance #medicalethics #podcast #priorauthorization #preexistingconditions #unitedhealthcareceo #unitedhealthcare #healthcarereform #mangione #brianthompson #insuranceclaimspecialist #patientadvocate #patientadvocacy #templeuniversity #verywell

How much thought do you put into the dolls in your daughter’s bedroom, or into how those dolls affect the way she sees herself? One woman took a gasp-worthy moment in a toy aisle full of hyper-sexualized dolls, and turned it into a fight we should all get behind; Because our daughters and our sons are watching.

Jodi Bondi Norgaard is the author of MORE THAN A DOLL: How creating a sports doll turned into a fight to end gender stereotypes, available TODAY wherever you get your books. Jodi is an entrepreneur, author, keynote speaker, TEDx speaker, and a feminist activist pushing media and retail to do a better job portraying girls beyond stereotypes.

She is the creator of the award-winning Go! Go! Sports Girls line of dolls, books, and apps, encouraging healthy and active play over beauty and body image. She has been featured on the Today show, The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson, Forbes, Parents, and Huffington Post among other media outlets, and was invited by the Biden Administration to be part of the groundbreaking Gender Policy Council and thought leaders on policy as it relates to children’s toys, content, and publishing.

On today’s podcast we are digging in to what the statistics tell us about when girls fall out of sports and into the race for unattainable perfection. We are looking at what Jodi learned when she tried to launch a realistic line of dolls for girls. And we are diving in to why it is in fact…never…"just a doll."

For More on Jodi Bondi Norgaard: https://www.jodibondinorgaard.com/books

For more on The Release Podcast:

https://thereleasepodcast.com

#podcast #inspiration #booktube #genderequality #genderstudies #consumerchoice #dolls #selfesteem #selfesteembuilding #perfection #seekingperfection #bodyimage #empowerment #girlsempowerment #raisinggirls #empathy #girlsinsports #womenssports #womeninsports